Safe and Sound
by Lyatt1941
Summary: One-shot AU immediately following the events of the World's Columbian Exposition episode. Wyatt does his best to take care of Lucy after the traumatizing ordeal of her kidnapping by Flynn and her being placed in a furnace by H.H. Holmes.


"Are you okay?"

Tears spilled out of Lucy's eyes as she turned her sooty face to look at Wyatt. He was holstering his gun and looking at her intensely with a mixture of relief and desperation. She was still clinging to Rufus for dear life as Wyatt drew near. "Lucy," he said softly, "are you hurt…di-did he hurt you?"

She shook her head in the negative, not quite finding her voice. Wyatt cupped her face in his hand and wiped away the tears still falling from her eyes. She removed her arms from Rufus and wrapped them around Wyatt's neck. "Th-Thank you." She cleared her throat as she slowly pulled away from Wyatt and straightened herself up, "I'm fine." She said almost as if to convince herself of that fact, "You found me in time." She nodded determinedly and gave him a weak smile as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her out of the basement of that Murder Hotel.

Wyatt exchanged looks with Rufus. They were both pretty shaken. Almost victims themselves, Lucy had found them just as they were about to give up hope – stuck in that airtight room, their oxygen supply running dangerously low. Lucy's voice, calling his name, had been the sweetest sound he had ever heard. He hadn't heard her voice since he lost her in 1780 when Flynn had kidnapped her and sent him into a downward spiral of panic and anxiety. So much so that when they landed in Chicago 1893, he hadn't thought to be cautious when he followed Flynn's henchman into that damn hotel, his only thought had been to rescue Lucy. When he found himself locked in that dungeon of a basement, he was almost consumed with despair as he considered what fate Lucy must have suffered. It had ben four damn hours, after all, before they could follow Flynn. Anything could've happened…and it would have all been Wyatt's fault. He would've died with the knowledge that he had failed once again…that once more, someone he… _cared_ about was gone because he had not gotten there in time.

Then Lucy's voice rang out and Wyatt could barely contain himself as the door was wrenched open and she was suddenly there, before him. He had expected to save her, but she had saved him… _them_ …his chest swelled with pride at her ingenuity. She had double-crossed Flynn and saved them by enlisting the help of Harry Houdini….of course she did, because she's Lucy Preston.

What a far cry she was from the panic-stricken woman he had met in that waiting room almost a year ago. He would have never believed the woman going on and on about historically accurate underwear would swoop in at the last moment and save his ass, but she had...and she had done it while she, herself, was in danger.

But then he stupidly left her alone again and that sonofabitch Holmes had grabbed her. Desperation was too weak a word to describe how Wyatt felt as he sought her and that serial killer in the labyrinthine interior of the World's Fair Hotel. He had seen enough in that airtight dungeon to make him fearful of countless possible scenarios, all of them ending in Lucy's torture and death. He knew that every second counted. He had only lost sight of Jess for 20 minutes before she had been taken from him forever, Lucy had been missing 10…and the dread that filled his chest was such that he could hardly breathe until he had finally burst through that cellar door and heard her screams for help.

The asshole had shoved her into a furnace.

Wyatt shuddered as he thought of what could have happened if he had been just a minute later. It was bad enough that she was claustrophobic and forced into that metal coffin…but the fact that it was an actual furnace? Holmes had been about to turn the damn thing on when Wyatt rushed in…what if he had been too late? Wyatt swallowed hard as he watched her climb up the stairs to the lobby…her soot stained hands and face the only indicators that she had just been in the clutches of a madman.

If he were in any doubt of his burgeoning feelings for Lucy Preston, this entire ordeal had put that to rest. Losing her in 1780 had filled him with a dread and panic he had not felt since the night Jessica had disappeared. Four hours to wait until they could go after Flynn was too long and Wyatt felt every single one of those 240 minutes as he paced the hallways of Mason Industries. Ever since that kiss in Arkansas, he had tried to tell himself that Lucy was just a friend, that she was just his team mate and that is why kissing her had left such an impression on him…but as he stood within an arm's reach of her, it took everything he had not wrap her up in his arms and never let her go. He was definitely screwed – there was no denying it anymore. He could hardly believe that he would feel the same way about Rufus if he had suffered through the same ordeal. Yes, he would've been concerned for his friend, but he would not be fighting off the impulse to kiss him.

Wyatt shook his head as he watched her conversing with Harry Houdini, and he stood in awe of her resilience. Despite everything she had been through in the past 60 hours, she seemed cool, calm, and collected. Smiling and joking with him and Rufus as they made their way through the darkened fields outside of Chicago towards the LifeBoat, Wyatt found it strange that she seemed to have let the traumatic experience roll off her back. "Not bad for a civilian" she had said – hell, it wasn't bad for a trained operative.

It wasn't until she sat in her chair and Wyatt reached over to fasten her safety harness that her mask slipped. He had just tightened her strap when he noticed her shaking hands and heard her muffled sobs. He rested his hands on hers and looked up at her face which was noticeably pale. "Lucy? Are you okay?"

She closed her eyes and nodded her head frantically. "Yes" she whispered. "I'm sorry…I know I shouldn't…" She swallowed hard, "Thank you." she nodded at Rufus and Wyatt.

Rufus gave a sympathetic smile, "Well, Lucy…we wouldn't be here without you." He tilted her head towards her with a wry smile, "You're kind of a bad ass, Lucy Preston."

She sniffed, "Well, I don't know about that…Harry did most of the hard work. He's the one who trapped Flynn, he's the one who got you out."

"And whose idea was it to go to Harry Houdini in the first place?" Wyatt asked her softly with a quirked brow. She offered him a sheepish smile as Rufus punched in the coordinantes. Wyatt sat back and smirked at her, "Let's get the hell out of here, Rufus."

When Lucy had emerged from the LifeBoat on their return to Mason Industries, she was met with hugs from Agent Christopher and Jiya. More tears flowed from her eyes as she embraced the two women, relieved to be back in her own time, safe from H.H. Holmes and away from Garcia Flynn.

"I hate to do this to you, but we'll need to debrief you as soon as possible, Lucy." Agent Christopher said with a sympathetic sigh. "Any information you can give us on Flynn, his whereabouts or any new plans he might be forming will be extremely helpful."

"Can't you give her a day?" Wyatt barked. "She's been through enough, don't you think?"

"That's precisely why we need to have a debriefing session, Wyatt. You of all people should know that."

"I do, ma'am" he said through gritted teeth, "but she's a civilian, I'm a soldier – she's not –"

"Wyatt, it's fine." Lucy waved her hand wearily and closed her eyes. "It's fine." She muttered mechanically as she shook her head slowly.

"Then let's get this over with, so you can get home and get some well-deserved rest." Agent Christopher's eyes fell on Wyatt who had just begun to follow Lucy to the conference room, "I think it's best if she give her account in private. You both" she nodded at Rufus and Wyatt "will be briefed on any information that is important for the mission."

Lucy shot Wyatt a nervous glance, but nodded her head determinedly as she made her way up the stairs to the conference room.

Wyatt watched her go with a heavy heart. He wanted to be there beside her as she recalled her hellish ordeal. Her kidnapping by Flynn and whatever he had done to her while she was in his clutches, how she had managed to double cross him, how she had found Rufus and Wyatt in all of that maze of a hotel, what she had suffered from that psychopath Holmes. He had failed her more than once…it was his fault that she had been taken by Flynn – he should've never let her go off by herself in 1780. Hell, he should've never left her alone in that damn lobby. He watched through the glass as she sat down at the conference room table, her hands shaking as she brought them up to her temples and waited for the questions to rip open any wounds that she might be harboring from the nightmare that she had lived over the past few days.

After showering and changing, Wyatt paced the launch bay until Lucy emerged from the conference room, noticeably paler with tracks of tears lining her soot stained face. Wyatt was immediately at her side. "How'd it go? Are you okay?"

Lucy nodded, "Yeah…I just want to go home."

Wyatt nodded, "I'll take you…you don't have to drive tonight."

Lucy offered him an appreciative smile, "I-I just need a shower first, okay?"

Lucy took longer than usual in the shower as she rinsed off the stress and horror of the past few days. She scrubbed her skin of the soot and ash that seemed to mar her ivory skin permanently. Every time she closed her eyes in the shower she felt as though the walls were closing in, she was back in that furnace, hearing H. ' voice, feeling her heart pounding out of her chest as she repeated to herself "Fear isn't real, fear isn't real."

Her skin was raw and red by the time she finished but she hardly cared. The visual remnants of her ordeal had been washed away and that, at least, was something.

Wyatt waited for her outside the locker room. When she emerged, back in her modern-day clothes, looking fresh faced yet exhausted– he could tell that she had been crying again. Once again, he was hit with an urge to hold her in his arms, so he stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, "You sure you're okay?"

She glanced up at him only for a moment before drawing her gaze to the floor, "I'll be fine. Once I get home and get some sleep, I'm sure it will feel like it was all just a bad dream."

Wyatt opened the door of his Jeep for Lucy as she sat inside. They drove on in silence with the exception of small little sniffs that escaped her from time to time. No longer able to fight the urge to do something for her, Wyatt dropped his right hand down from the steering wheel and gripped her hand in his. The response this elicited was enough to set his heart on fire; she turned her face to his with a smile, closed her eyes and rested her head back on the seat.

When they pulled up to Lucy's darkened house, Wyatt eased the car into park and turned to Lucy. "Doesn't look like anybody's home…don't you live with your mom?"

She nodded, "Yes, but she was out of town this week for a seminar in Los Angeles."

She collected her purse and began to open the door before Wyatt held out his arm, "Lucy, are you sure you're going to be alright on your own? I mean, you've had it rough the past few days."

Lucy shook her head, "I'll be fine…thanks for the ride, Wyatt."

Wyatt watched her leave his Jeep and walk across her lawn towards the darkened house. He should've just let her go…but every step she took away from him made him feel her absence all the more and he couldn't bear it.

"Lucy! Wait!" Wyatt called as he jumped out of his Jeep and jogged towards her. "You shouldn't be alone tonight."

Lucy tilted her head at him and gave him a wry smirk, "Is this some lame attempt to get an invitation to sleep on my couch?"

"No." Wyatt said matter of factly, "It's an invitation for you to sleep on mine."

Lucy gaped at him.

"Look, it's not just you I'm worried about." Wyatt said with a smirk, "it was no picnic for me in that murder hotel either…and I know I'd feel a whole lot safer if the woman who came swooping in to save my life was in the next room when my head hits the pillow tonight."

Lucy smiled at him, "Do you have anything to eat in that apartment of yours?"

Wyatt grinned, "No, but I know a great Italian place…you want to grab some overnight stuff while I order?"

Lucy frowned slightly, "Okay. Are you're sure about this? You don't mind me crashing on your couch?"

"Wouldn't have offered if I minded" he said with a soft smile before adding, "ma'am."

 _What the hell was he doing?_

Wyatt raced back to his Jeep as Lucy entered her house, his heart pounding so hard he could hardly hold his phone steady to make the call for take-out. He hadn't even had Rufus over to his place for a beer and now he was having Lucy spend the night? Lucy, the woman he was having ever increasing feelings for? Lucy, whom he had kissed in 1934? Lucy who was engaged to another man?

 _What the hell was he doing?_

He was a nervous wreck the whole drive back to his place. Italian food in hand, they both made their way up the stairs to his apartment. It was Spartan, but then again, there was really no need for him to decorate the place as it was just him and he was hardly ever there.

He nervously ushered her in and jogged into the kitchen for plates and drinks, setting everything out, doing his damnedest to play the role of gracious host. After dishing out their meal onto two plates, he brought them over to the living room where Lucy was already seated on his couch. Placing the plates on the coffee table he sat down beside her and flipped on the TV.

"Dinner and a movie?"

Lucy shrugged, "Why not? I think I need a little distraction after the last few days."

"Yeah." Wyatt muttered, though his need for a distraction was a little different than hers.

Wyatt had no idea what movie he had picked, some black and white film that Lucy got excited over when she saw it on the Netflix queue. His brain was pre-occupied with the fact that Lucy was in his apartment. Just hours ago, he had been out of his mind with worry and here she was next to him, safe and sound. It struck him as odd how natural her presence seemed to be in his place given that she had never been there before. She had wrapped herself up in a blanket after finishing her meal and tucked her feet under her as she laughed and smiled through what she repeatedly told Wyatt was "one of her favorite movies of all time."

He could get used to this.

It wasn't long before her eyelids began to droop and he soon found his arm serving as a pillow as she drifted over sideways on the couch. Smiling to himself, he eased himself away from her and collected the dishes and put them away. She groaned slightly as she flipped over on his sofa and Wyatt decided right then and there he had been a bit of an ass by relegating her to the couch.

He stepped softly towards the couch and gently lifted her in his arms. She murmured something indiscernible as Wyatt pulled back the sheets of his own bed and tucked her into them. He sighed as he stepped back, wishing he could clamber into bed next to her and hold her close all night.

Reluctantly but resolutely, he crossed to his closet and pulled out an extra blanket and pillow and made his way back to the living room, feeling enormously at ease with the idea that Lucy was in his bed.

Which…now that he came to think of it…kind of unnerved him.

He would admit that he was having burgeoning feelings towards the historian. He would admit that yes, that kiss in Arkansas had hit him hard with the fact that there was more between the two of them than just friendship, but being at ease with her not only in his apartment, but in his bed?

He hadn't had a woman in his bed since Jessica…and holy hell, wasn't he trying to get her back?

 _What the hell was he doing?_

He laid down on the couch and closed his eyes, willing himself to drift away before he thought too much on what these alarming new feelings meant.

Sleep did come, but Wyatt was sure he hadn't been asleep long before Lucy's screams had him racing into the bedroom next to her. She was thrashing around violently and Wyatt knew with a pang of sympathy that she was reliving her ordeal in that damn furnace.

As gently as he could, he shook her awake. She bolted upright, nearly hitting him in the face, breathing heavily and crying as she raised shaking hands to push the hair out of her eyes. She looked around in alarm, before Wyatt rested a gentle hand on her arm, "Hey, Lucy…it's okay, you're okay."

She let out a strangled sob, "Oh…I'm so sorry Wyatt. I didn't mean to wake you."

"You don't need to apologize, Lucy. It was a nightmare." Wyatt said gently as he rubbed her arm, "Holmes?"

She nodded as she drew her knees to her chest. "Yes. I should've gone straight to the police, Wyatt. I shouldn't have looked at that picture on the wall…but I couldn't help it. As soon as I saw George's photo…I just…"

"Hey, don't do that. If anyone's to blame here, it's me. I left you alone." He shook his head, "I'm sorry, Lucy. I lost you in 1780 and you had to save yourself only to have me lose you all over again."

She blinked up at him. The room was dark but she could see the firm outline of his jaw and she could feel the intensity of his gaze. Taking a steadying breath, she leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. "You didn't know, Wyatt…don't blame yourself for that."

Wyatt tentatively wrapped his arms around her and let out a shuddering sigh. He was in dangerous territory here.

"Besides," Lucy whispered, "you saved me. I'm only here because of you."

Yeah…he was definitely in dangerous territory here.

Despite his head screaming that it was a terrible idea, Wyatt couldn't help but nuzzle his face deeper into her hair. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo and was transported to some alternative universe where he would be able to wrap himself up with Lucy without the guilt of Jessica's murder hanging over him and without the added problem of her fake fiancé. He pulled away slightly, her brown eyes shining in the dark, glistening with the unshed tears that pooled along her long lashes.

He had almost lost her...just like he had almost lost Jessica...yet, here she was in his bed, looking at him with those beautiful big brown eyes, just a hair's breadth away

Oh hell, he was in serious trouble here.

Without thinking, he brushed his lips over hers, ever so gently, relishing in the feel of them under his own. Lucy gasped slightly in surprise, but did not pull away…which only made him press his lips a little more firmly to hers. Moving his hands slowly to her hair, he drank her in and lost himself in the taste of her on his tongue.

Breathless and panting he pulled away reluctantly, looking stunned. "Um…I should probably go back to the couch."

"Yeah" Lucy breathed back, "that's probably a good idea."

But Wyatt didn't move. He seemed to be frozen to the spot.

As if by some invisible force, he found himself leaning in once more, capturing her lips with his own. Moving his hands from her hair to her back, he pulled her closer to him as he melted into another searing kiss.

Gasping for air now, he pulled away, leaning his forehead to hers as he closed his eyes.

"On second thought, maybe I should stick around…in case you have another nightmare."

"Yeah, maybe you should." Lucy agreed breathlessly.

He was most definitely in serious trouble here.


End file.
